The present invention relates generally to prescription media for prescribing bio-affecting agents, and more particularly, to a prescription medium having a plurality of visual indicia associated with the application of bio-affecting agents.
In the practice of medicine, certain bio-affecting agents, such as antibiotics, antihistamines, pain suppressing medicaments, anti-inflammatory medicaments and the like, are only available to a patient by prescription prepared by a medical professional, such as a doctor. In many, if not most cases, the prescribing professional makes the prescription via a prescription medium which is provided to a point of supply, such as a retail pharmacy, and the prescribed bio-affecting agent is dispensed in accordance with the prescription. Such bio-affecting agents will hereinafter be referred to as pharmaceuticals.
Typically, a doctor hand writes information into a prescription medium indicating the pharmaceutical name and required dosage. The most common prescription medium is a pad with preprinted prescriber information and entry spaces to identify the patient and the pharmaceutical being prescribed. Often, the indications are written in abbreviated format and are difficult to decipher due to the characteristics of the doctor's handwriting. These factors often make it difficult for a pharmacist, charged with dispensing the pharmaceutical, to determine the proper substance to dispense. In a worst case, the pharmacist confuses two pharmaceuticals which are of different classes of bio-affecting agents. This results in the dispensing of a pharmaceutical which is at best ineffective and at worst dangerous to the patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,604 to Baum discloses a method of graphically depicting a pharmaceutical to be dispensed. The Baum reference employs a computer system which controls a color graphic printer. The pharmacist, after receiving a completed prescription medium, enters information from the prescription medium into the computer which then directs the color printer to create a label for the pharmaceutical container. The printed label includes a color graphic illustrating the proper substance to be dispensed. While the Baum reference aids a pharmacist and patient in matching the substance dispense to the label, this reference does not alleviate the previously described risk associated with the pharmacist incorrectly interpreting the information entered on the prescription medium.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,877 to Lieberman discloses a system for conveying drug information to a consuming patient. The Lieberman reference employs a plurality of pre-printed cards which include information regarding specific pharmaceuticals. The cards include graphical icons to assist in the conveyance of information to the consumer about a selected pharmaceutical. However, the Lieberman reference is not directed to prescription media nor does it provide a method to alleviate the risk of a prescription being improperly interpreted resulting in the wrong pharmaceutical being dispensed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,362 to Lapsaker, U.S. Pat. No. 1,588,964 to Hutchkins and French Patent No. 1,122,133 to S.E.P.P. each describe printed prescription media for use by a medical professional in conveying prescription information to a pharmacist. However, none of these references provide means or a method for alleviating the risk of misconstruing the indications written on the prescription medium to prevent incorrect dispensing of the pharmaceutical.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings found in the prior art by providing prescription media which includes a plurality of visual indicia to give positive correlation between a prescribed pharmaceutical and the application of that pharmaceutical.